Chemistry
by SongSwifteye
Summary: AU RoyEd. Chemistry Professor Roy Mustang had a repuation as a bit of a playboy, but could his firey TA change that? Inspired by Sakki's picture, Professor Roy's Chemistry Lab.
1. Chapter 1

Hello, all! I haven't posted anything in quite some time. My original intention was to keep my FFN account strictly Het/Gen, really mild, fluffy stuff. However, seeing that almost all of my current projects are Shounen-ai/Yaoi, I've changed that. I'm now working on uploading all of the stories I've been working on for some time (including reloading "The Benefits of Otherworld Physics," which I had removed several months ago).

This is a story that I am particularly proud of. It was inspired by Sakura's art on Route4 again, as are many of my other works (which can be found at my livejournal, http:// songswifteye.livejournal. com w/out the spaces) She had been inspired by a line that a couple of (friends? Aquaintences? Random Internet people?) had come up with, which I have used almost word for word, in tribute to the geniuses who came up with this AU: "But to get the results you want, I'll have to start the cells NOW and stay here ALL WEEKEND!" "I admire your immediate grasp of the situation. Now get to work."

Here's her website: http:// 4.neutralred. org w/out the spaces. She has stopped posting new work (which is an absolute tragedy), but her older works are still up and easy to read. This was inspired by a picture called "Professor Roy's Chemistry Lab." It's freakin' hilarious, really. Go and see, her work is all the muse that an author could want.

The chapters are fairly short, but it's complete. I'll post it a bit at a time though, because I like reviews and readers, and I'd like to keep it up top of the list for a longer period! Sorry. : )

I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. AU fics are always a bit of a gamble to read, as far as quality goes. Thank you for giving it a chance!

Rated for safety. Ed's a bit of a potty-mouth, really. Which isn't my fault. As I've gotten more into the fandom, my EdMuse has decided that he doesn't care about any reader's delicate sensabilities. Please forgive him, for as he is only in my head, I am unable to wash his mouth out with soap! Al does try to stop him, most of the time...

Update: Fixed the links! Just erase the spaces and they're good to go. Thanks to my reviewers for pointing that out!

Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Alchemist, or any of the characters portrayed in this story. The idea for the AU is not mine either. Credit is given in the author's note above.

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"No, no, no!"

"Brother, please!"

"No way, Al. I'm done! This is it! I don't care what our reasons are! I'm not working for that…"

The shouts coming from outside his office were what roused Roy Mustang from his early morning nap. Sleepily, he looked up just as his door burst open.

"Mustang!" the golden whirlwind in his doorway yelled.

Mustang's brain slowly ground into motion. What could he have done this time? Oh, he hoped his date from last night hadn't left him a little "present." Last time, his T.A. had been livid to discover a rather…forward invitation written on the back of some of his research notes in bright red lipstick. But, Mustang remembered, he hadn't had a date last night. He'd gone out for drinks with Hughes and some old friends, then come back to do some work on one of his personal projects.

"You lazy ba…"

"Brother!"

"…what did you do to my lab?!?"

Raising one dark eyebrow at his furious aide, Mustang drawled, "Hmm, silly me, I was under the impression that this was my lab, Edward."

Edward Elric opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

'_For once_,' Mustang thought inwardly, smirking at the young man.

Turning to the other occupant of the room, Mustang toned down the smirk, almost smiling.

"Morning, Alphonse," he greeted, getting up from his desk and moving toward the lab.

Alphonse grinned, the darker boy's eyes dancing with mirth as he interpreted Roy's, "Good morning," to mean, "Don't worry, I won't blame you for him. You're the one who had to live with him all these years."

"Morning, Professor," he responded cheerily.

Roy chuckled as he brushed past Ed, the young man mouthing "Traitor!" at his grinning little brother. His chuckles ran a little drier when he stepped into his lab.

Experiments were spread across the tables. Chemicals had boiled over onto the dark countertops, multicolored puddles in various stages of congealment, intermixed with some of his personal notes, most of which were, luckily, on a separate table and avoided the main disaster areas.

'_Heh heh. Oops_,' he thought, eyeing a particularly nasty reaction that hadn't yet hardened.

Turning, he faced his TAs, one grinning, one scowling.

"Well," Roy started, taking his life in his hands, "What are you waiting for? This mess won't clean itself."

'_Wait for it, wait for it…_'

Bingo.

Ed exploded, leaping at Mustang even as his little brother grabbed to restrain him.

"Mustang!" Ed screamed, coloring the air with obscenities and struggling against his brother's arms. Finally, he ran out of air and stopped, glaring death at Mustang.

When he was released, he puffed up.

"I've had enough, you lazy a…"

"Brother!"

"I'm going to see the Dean. I'm through, Mustang! You're impossible to work with! I swear…"

Still ranting, Ed walked out the door.

When he disappeared, Alphonse chuckled.

"Think he remembers that the Dean's out of town?" he asked, eyes twinkling merrily at Mustang.

Roy chuckled, going to the supply closet. He pulled out gloves, cloths and solvents, tossing some to Alphonse.

"Let's get this cleaned up. Maybe if we're done before Ed gets back, he won't slip acid in my coffee."

Still grinning, Al started gathering beakers and setting them in the sink.

"Professor," he started, turning back around, "You do know that Ed doesn't mean everything he says, right? He would've never threatened to get the Dean if he didn't know he was out of town. We both like working here."

Roy smiled reassuringly.

"Oh, I know you boys love your jobs. You get free access to a fully stocked lab, with only limited restrictions. Yes, Ed likes his job," he gave a rueful laugh, "He just hates his boss."

Al started to object, but he caught a glance of the clock out of the corner of his eye.

"Yikes! Class starts in a few minutes! We have to get this cleaned up!"

Edward was forgotten as cleaning frantically resumed.

The day flew by. Ed came back as class was starting, grumbling about deans and vacations. The sight of the clean lab though, and the busy hum of the coming students managed to pull him out of his funk. Despite Ed's insistence that he would much rather spend the day researching, he obviously loved working with the students. Even after the last class had ended, a group of students was gathered around him.

Ed was a genius. It seemed to run in the family, because Al possessed a similar intellect, but while the younger was mostly shy and soft spoken, Ed lived for conflict and attention. Almost every day when classes ended, a small crowd would gather in the chemistry lab. Ed would be right in the middle of it, working on an experiment while keeping up a running commentary, or debating theory with some of the upper division students. He kept them laughing with his outrageous behavior, and never failed to teach them something new. Some of them lingered for hours. The few times Ed had been able to engage Al in these gatherings, half a dozen or more students had stayed well past dinner time, following the brothers down to dinner to continue the conversation.

Roy never did anything do discourage these meetings, even though he had jobs for his TAs. His TAs' popularity could only help him. Mustang was a popular teacher. One of the younger professors, he had a better rapport with the students. His teaching style was quiet and intense, nicely complimenting Al's sweet guidance and Ed's irrepressible charisma.

Throwing a comment into Ed's current debate, the older man was gratified to find that Ed's response was uninsulting, his expression open and focused as he worked Roy's idea into his current theory. Thinking aloud, he slightly tweaked the suggestion, mental gears visibly turning. Alphonse spoke up, taking Ed's new theory and refining it, his own interpretation more elegant, smoothing any leftover edges.

Ed's eyes widened and he whirled about frantically, reaching for his research notes. Like lightning, he was sketching diagrams and scribbling explanations. Roy and Al glanced at each other, both with the hints of indulgent smiles on their lips. The other students looked at them, a few eyebrows rising, before turning awed expressions back to Edward.

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Well, there's the first of them. Hope you enjoyed, and thank you for reading. Reviews, comments, and just general messages are always appreciated. If you catch any mistakes, please don't hesitate to point them out. I'm always looking to improve my writing, and I don't use a Beta, so it's nice to get a heads-up if I missed something! Thanks again!


	2. Chapter 2

Wow! I was so thrilled to get back from class and find two reviews and a favorite story rating waiting for me! I'd only posted moments before class started, so I'm terribly flattered. Just for that, I'm posting the 2nd section of the story (by the by, there are only 4 sections)! Oh, and thanks again to my reviewers who let me know that the website addresses I'd added had been erased. They are now posted with spaces between in the Chapter 1 author's note. The disclaimer applies throughout the whole story, so with no further ado...

Update again! To my reviewers, I'm sorry! I was trying to fix the first chapter mistakes and pushed the wrong buttons! So I had to completely reload my whole story again, and your reviews were deleted. However, I've already replied to two of you, and I have copies of all the reviews in my personal email! Thank you so much for reviewing though!

To Mage of Dragons: Thank you for reviewing! The reply link became invalid after I messed up the upload, so I wanted to let you know that I recieved your review and an so glad that you like the story. And so, for my lovely readers who made me feel so flattered with their praises, here's section two!

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Herding the last student out the door, Al breathed a soft sigh of relief as he turned the lock. Even though their enthusiasm was invigorating, they had a lot of work to do. Looking at his brother, Al almost snorted. Ed was no help. He was still buried in notes, scribbling theory and attempting to reinvent the entire field of chemistry (or something like that).

Looking at the clock, Al sighed. It was already after five. He'd have to cancel, again.

"Alphonse, hasn't Ed pulled his head out of that theory yet?"

Al shook his head, turning to face Mustang.

"Well, pull him out. I have a special job tonight."

Unwillingly, Ed was forced to put down his research. He scowled, looking at the chemicals and equipment spread out on the table.

"Wait, aren't these the lab experiments you were supposed to start fixing weeks ago?" he asked, glaring at Mustang.

Roy shrugged and smirked.

"Guess it slipped my mind."

Ed snorted.

"Yeah, sure. So, what, you want us to do them for you?"

"Why Ed," Mustang smirked, "You're too kind. I was only going to ask for some help, but if you insist…"

"Ha ha, very funny, Mustang."

Ed picked up a summary sheet, scanning it briefly.

"Hmm, okay, this is doable. So, when do you need the results?"

"Oh, by Monday."

Two blonde heads turned and gaped.

"Monday?!?"

Looking back down at the sheet, Ed did some swift mental calculations. Frowning, he looked up at Mustang.

"Don't you know how long all of these take?"

Mustang nodded.

"Yes."

Ed exploded.

"But to get the results you want, I'll have to start now and stay here all weekend!"

Mustang leaned on one hand, his expression bored.

"I admire your immediate grasp of the situation, Ed. You'd better get to work."

Ed crunched the paper in his hand.

"Damn it, Mustang, I'm not your slave!" he yelled, barely keeping himself from punching the man.

Mustang's bored look sharpened slightly, then he offered an almost-smile in commiseration.

"Ed, don't worry, you're being paid overtime for any work you do. Besides, with two people working…"

"No!"

Mustang's expression was surprised as he looked down at Ed.

"No! I'm not making Al stay here all weekend! He has his own life!"

"Brother," Al interjected, "I really…"

"Of course not," Mustang said. "In fact, if your brother isn't cleaned up and out of here in the next ten minutes, he just might not have a job to come back to."

Turning to Al, Mustang added, "You need to tell me when you have plans, Alphonse. You shouldn't have to cancel because I keep you here late. I trust you to finish your work. Now, go before your date decides to murder me."

Al gaped at Mustang.

"How did you…?"

Mustang smirked.

"I'm omniscient, Alphonse, haven't I told you?"

When Al's face remained blank, Mustang sighed.

"It's called a telephone, Alphonse," Roy chuckled. "Your girlfriend is quite adept at using one."

Ed had remained silent throughout the exchange, but he was finally jerked into action.

"Girlfriend?" he asked incredulously, "You have a girlfriend?"

Al nodded sheepishly.

"Winry and I have been dating for a while now. I'm sorry for not telling you, Broth…umph!"

"My little brother's all grown up," Ed growled proudly as he suffocated Al in a hug. Drawing back, he reached out and punched the younger man's arm. Hard.

"Ow!"

"Hmph, that's for keeping secrets from me," he added with a smirk. "Always knew you liked Winry."

Looking back at Roy, who merely tapped his wristwatch, Al grinned brightly, grabbed his things and ran for the door.

Stopping in the doorway, he turned back.

"Thank you," he breathed emphatically, and then he was gone, running down the hallway.

Ed watched fondly as his brother left, and then turned to Mustang.

"You said 'two people.' So, who'd you get to help me?"

Mustang smirked at him, gesturing with his arms.

"You know, Ed, becoming a teacher requires more than learning to stand up front and look good," he paused while Ed snorted. "It also requires at least a rudimentary understanding of one's topic. I think that I'm perfectly capable of 'assisting' you."

Roy watched as golden eyes widened and the color drained from Ed's face.

"Crap. Crap, crap, crap! No! Not in a million years! I am not spending the weekend in a lab with you!"

A noise from the doorway made them both turn.

"I thought you were leaving, Alphonse," Roy said, rather glad for a distraction. He didn't feel like being killed by a raging Edward.

Al nodded.

"I am leaving, but I forgot something."

Turning to Ed, he scowled.

"Brother," he said, in a tone that made Ed wince and shrink back, "Just because I'm not here doesn't mean that you don't have to behave. You are not allowed to kill, maim, or otherwise injure Professor Mustang."

Stopping he thought for a moment, then added, "And watch your language."

Roy chuckled, until Al turned to him.

"Professor," he said, his voice stern, "I respect you greatly, and am extremely thankful for the chance you've given us, but it is my brother you're messing with."

Al glared a moment longer before his expression turned sly.

"Be gentle," he added with a smirk. He let one eyelid drop lazily.

Roy's eyes widened perceptibly. '_Who has Alphonse been talking to?'_ Either his sweet TA wasn't as innocent as he had thought, or he'd been talking with…Hughes.

Ed, confused, looked back and forth between the two, as Roy's smirk turned slightly homicidal, and Alphonse grinned cheekily even as he edged toward the door.

"'Bye, professor, 'bye Brother!" he called, "Don't kill each other!"

Ed waved half heartedly, grumbling to himself as he turned back toward his earlier experiment. Turning off the gas valve, he jotted down notes while the beaker fizzed and cooled. Slowly but surely, each piece of equipment was measured, catalogued, emptied, cleaned and put neatly in its place.

Ed was extremely neat in the lab. If Roy hadn't heard Al berating Ed for his "pigsty of a room," he would've assumed the man lived in a completely sterile environment. It spoke volumes of his dedication to his science, and made him the perfect aid. Roy himself was not a naturally neat person. He had a tendency to let things wait before cleaning them up. Ed hated that. He always cleaned up Roy's messes, yelling at him the entire time. Not that the scolding helped though. Just the opposite, in fact. After all, who could resist getting Ed worked up? His cheeks would redden and his eyes would flash, and he would growl and yell and flail until somebody heard him. It was almost as amazing as the moments when his genius came out, when malice and dislike were dropped, when his mind would open, taking in any and all information, and you could almost see the equations and theories running through his eyes, which were lit with a fire entirely different from the fire of his anger. Everything about Ed was fire; a fiery passion for science, and a fiery temper to match. Roy didn't mind. He'd always been a bit of a pyro, anyway.

"Hey, old man, wake up. I'd like to finish this before I grow a beard."

Blinking, Roy looked down at a pair of sarcastic golden eyes. Lifting an eyebrow at his TA, he turned away to grab his lab gear. He was almost to the closet when Ed's comment hit home.

"Who're you calling old?!?"

It took some time, but eventually their bickering halted as they each became wrapped up in their work. By some unspoken agreement, they kept going through the night, taking shifts and catching a few hours' sleep on the sofa in Roy's office (which really was too comfortable to resist). Roy cleaned up and disappeared for an hour or two, calling out, "Staff meeting," by way of explanation as he shut the door behind him. He had to say it again when he got back and Edward attacked him for slacking off.

Roy smirked to himself. His swift rejoinder ("Why, Edward, did you miss me?") sent Ed sputtering back to his work ad left them in comparative silence. At least until lunchtime.

The third or fourth time Roy was startled by a fierce gurgling, he looked up at Ed. Completely oblivious, the young man toiled on.

"Edward."

He turned at the sound of Roy's voice.

"What?"

Roy gave a tired smile.

"Go get some lunch. I can hear your stomach from here."

Ed turned away.

"You go," he muttered. "I'm not hungry."

Moments later, there was a hand on his brow and another checking the pulse at his wrist. He glared and jerked away from Mustang's grasp, seeing the amusement in artificially-amazed eyes.

"Who are you and what have you done with Edward?" Mustang asked, jokingly, "Because I know for a fact that Edward Elric is never 'not hungry'."

Ed just glared, his frown deepening as his stomach piped up again and disproved his words. But there was nothing he could do. He hadn't brought money for more than yesterday's lunch.

Roy was a little worried. Usually when one of the boys refused food they were sick or couldn't afford…oh. His smirk came back to cover his moment of revelation.

"Actually, Edward," Roy started, watching Ed's eyes snap up to his, "If you could bear the indignity of doing me a favor," ah, and there was the incredulous snort, "I'm feeling a bit hungry myself. You could pick up lunch for me when you're out as well."

Ed hissed at him.

"I'm not your personal servant, you lazy old man!"

'_Gotcha!_' Roy thought, pulling out his wallet.

"I wasn't insinuating that you were, Edward. In fact, how about this? If you're willing to get my lunch while you're out and bring it back, provided it isn't poisoned or something equally disagreeable, I'll pay for both our lunches."

He decided to throw in the clincher.

"Unless, of course, two whole lunch boxes are too large for you to handle?"

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING…?"

An exceptionally loud protest from his stomach stopped Ed's rant before it began. With a venomous glare, he snatched the proffered money and stomped out the door, leaving Roy chuckling in the lab after the door slammed behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello again, lovely readers! Well, if I was happy about the feedback yesterday, then I'm absolutely THRILLED today. I had 10 different kinds of compliments waiting in my mailbox, everything from reviews to favorite stories and alerts. You're all terribly kind, and so, here's section 3. If there is enough demand, I might be persuaded to post the 4th and final section later today. I've also recieved a request to write a follow-up. I'm not sure that it'll happen soon, or at all really, but if anyone has any ideas (or requests, I've always wanted to do a story request...it might be an interesting challenge), please, feel free to rail 'em at me! I can't guarantee that they'll be used, but I welcome any input!

Thanks for being so wonderful, and here's Chapter 3!

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Ed was back quickly, shoving one lunch box at Roy even as he opened his own. Roy's lunch was not only undamaged, but happened to be one of his favorites.

"Stop smirking," Ed growled at his smug expression, "Professor Hughes was down there and picked it."

Ed inhaled his food while checking some of the calculations. If they kept this up, he might be able to get home in time for dinner!

The day flew by, and finally they finished. Ed heaved a sigh as he set the last beaker on its shelf.

"Ed," came Mustang's voice from inside the office, "Have you seen my copy of Heirscheim's text? I can't find it."

"Of course I have. You lent it to Al a week ago. It's still at the apartment."

Roy smacked his head with his hand.

"I forgot. Could I have it back? I need it to work next week's lessons. I'll give you a ride home and just grab it when I drop you off."

"Okay," Ed agreed. "But only because I don't feel like walking."

"Al! I'm home!" Ed called, opening the door to the apartment. Turning to Roy he gestured at the living room.

"Wait here. I think it's in the bedroom. Al! Where are you?"

Something on the floor caught Roy's eye, and he bent to retrieve it just as Ed came back into the room.

"I found the book, but I can't find Al. What's that?"

Roy handed him the scrap of paper. Ed drooped as he read it.

"Al's gone for the night. I'm sure he wouldn't mind giving back the book though."

Grown men, Roy thought, shouldn't be able to look so lonely and dejected. He could no more have left him alone than he could have kicked a puppy. Snagging Ed's coat from where he'd thrown it over the sofa, he held it out to Ed, who shot him a questioning glare.

Mustang just shrugged at him and thought fast.

"I had originally thought this would take longer, so the pay would've been worth the trouble, but since it didn't how about I buy dinner?"

Ed's eyes had gone wide, and he was staring at Mustang. Roy worked to keep the smirk off his face. Rendering Edward Elric speechless was something he'd never managed to do before. Interesting.

Wrapping the coat around Ed's shoulders, he led him out the door and into the hallway before the shorter man's brain kicked back in.

"Whoa! Hold it, Mustang! What's going on here?"

He pulled away from the solicitous hand on his arm and blinked at Mustang.

"Exactly what it looks like, Edward," Roy smirked, "A professor treating his hard working TA to dinner for a job well done."

Ed glared.

"This isn't some kind of trick, is it?"

Roy shook his head.

"And you're paying?"

Roy nodded.

Ed did a quick mental tally of what they had in the kitchen, shuddered, and then turned to face Roy.

"You do understand what paying for my food entails, right Mustang?"

Roy almost grinned at him, which startled Ed a bit, and steered the young man down the hallway to the door.

"So what do you feel like, Edward?"

Having left the car in one of the hard-to-get parking spaces, the two wandered through downtown. Older even than the university they worked at, the downtown buildings glowed a dusky brick red in the late afternoon sunlight. Knotted old trees lined the sidewalks, their summer leaves faded. It was warm for September, though, and the sidewalks were filled with people enjoying the lingering warmth. Ed pointedly ignored the endless numbers of couples strolling together contentedly, concentrating instead on finding a restaurant that looked good.

Roy had a good eye for hidden treasures. He found a tiny bistro just off the main street, almost hidden behind an ancient oak and crammed between two larger buildings. They didn't have much in the way of seating, but it was nice enough outside that he didn't care. Besides, the food smelled heavenly. He was pretty sure Ed had actually started drooling when they walked in the door.

Soon they were polishing off the last crumbs in a nearby park. Roy lounging on a wooden bench and Ed sprawled out on the grass ("I've been wearing these clothes for thirty-six hours straight, already," he argued when Roy had bothered him, "How much dirtier can they get?"). Ed sighed contentedly, pillowing his hands behind his head. The street lights were flickering on, and stars were just peeking out of the darkened skies. He didn't really want to move yet, but a breath of cool wind made him shiver. He looked up at Mustang, who was watching him with a strange look on his face. Fighting down the oddest urge to blush ('_Where did that come from?_'), he cocked an eyebrow at the man and glowered. Mustang blinked, a little surprised to have Ed glaring at him again, and smirked back at him. Rising, he offered a hand up, and together they walked back to the car.

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Ed was almost surprised to find that they were outside his apartment complex. That was fast. Turning to Roy, he smiled slightly.

"Thanks for the ride, and for dinner, Mustang. The food was good."

Roy actually laughed out loud. Trust Ed to comment on the safest part of the situation.

"You're welcome. And thank you for giving up the greater part of your weekend, Ed."

That was weird. Mustang was being nice, and calling him "Ed," like they were buddies or something. Yeah, weird, but he could deal.

"See ya Monday, Professor," he called as he stepped out of the car, grinning at Mustang as he one-upped him. If Mustang could be "nice," he sure as anything could be "respectful," sort of. He slammed the door, gave a jaunty wave, and walked into the building.

Roy waited until he saw the light come on in the apartment. Ed appeared in the window and waved again, and Roy started pulling away.

Ed smiled as he watched the car pull away. He realized he was still waving like an idiot and forcibly tugged his hand down. Sheesh, Roy was turning him into a girl…Urk. Didn't just think that, nope, not at all. He flopped down on the couch, wishing Al was there. He must've dozed off, because it seemed like only a few moments had passed when he heard a knock at the door.

"Who's there?" he called, knowing that Al wouldn't be back until tomorrow or the next day.

"It's me."

"Mustang?"

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Roy drove away with more questions buzzing around his head than were legal. That had been…fun, much more so than he had feared, more so than he had hoped, in fact, in the evenings when his house seemed so cold and when he closed his eyes all he could see were visions of fire; sun-bright hair and fiery eyes. He knew that it was unprofessional for a professor to have feelings for his TA. Not that it was illegal. Edward was over twenty-one, and he wasn't actually a student at the university. Al was working on his degree still, but Ed had completed his and was now working to save up money, and because he couldn't live without some purpose. Roy knew that because he always asked for TA's who weren't students. Emotional entanglements or even pure physical attraction was a bad, bad, very bad thing when it was a teacher and a student. Maes Hughes liked to remind him of that little fact every time he got a new TA.

He remembered the way Hughes acted on Edward's first day. He'd stalked up to Roy as he was peacefully eating his lunch and had slammed down a thick volume. When Roy gave him a raised eyebrow in response, Hughes had smirked.

"I just saw your new TA. You'd better go over these regs again to make sure you know what's legal and what isn't."

Roy had almost laughed at him.

"Hughes, my new TAs are brothers, one still in college. I'm sure I'll be fine."

Hughes smirked some more, shrugging his shoulders as he walked away.

"Suit yourself. Don't say I didn't warn you."

How right he was. Alphonse was a quiet, caring, intelligent, responsible young man, the perfect TA. His brother was fire, passion, genius and excitement all wrapped in an irresistible little blonde package. Hughes had only laughed at him during their drinking sprees, where his growing attachment to the boy would have him moping in his whiskey for hours.

'_Hughes, if you said anything to Alphonse, I promise that I will personally see you hanged._'

Right now was not the time to think about this. He would go home, get some coffee, work on lesson plans until he couldn't stay awake any longer, and then go to bed. Thank heavens he had gotten the Heirscheim from Edward…wait. Where was it?

Roy cursed softly, flipping the car in a neat U-turn and heading back to the apartment complex he had just left. Edward was the last person he needed to see now, but he had to have that text for this week's lessons.

Roy felt distinctly embarrassed, watching the door open slowly to reveal Edward's confused face. He was feeling rather foolish at the moment, a feeling Roy Mustang was not very accustomed to.

Ed cocked his head, and Roy realized he'd been daydreaming.

"Um, Ed, I seem to have left in such a hurry that I forgot the Heirscheim book. Could I have it back?"

Ed smirked, and Roy relaxed. Ah, bickering. Now this was normal.

"Wow, old man. Talk about having a senior moment!"

Roy merely frowned, knowing that, while Edward would never, ever harm a book, it would be very difficult to get it back if he offended the blonde too badly.

Although Ed looked up in surprise when no return insult was forthcoming, he just shook his head and bent down to reach for the book where it lay on the low coffee table (Roy thoughtfully remembering to avert his eyes…mostly). He brought it over and handed it to Roy in the doorway.

They stood awkwardly for a moment, and Roy remembered why he hadn't walked Ed back to his apartment after they'd had dinner. Saying goodbye at the door was much too date-like, and he didn't want to date Edward – didn't want to complicate things, didn't want to ruin the working relationship they had, didn't want to date a TA, even if it was legal and he wasn't getting into trouble, because what happened if they fell apart? Would he loose the two most efficient, intelligent, helpful assistants he'd ever had because they had a lover's spat? No, too much baggage, too much to worry about…right?

"Well," Ed started, filling the awkward silence.

"Well," Roy echoed, looking anywhere but at the blonde in front of him.

"Well, you'd better get going. It isn't good for old people to stay up too late, right Professor?" he added slyly. He received a death glare for his troubles.

"I may be a few years beyond you, Edward, but that definitely does not make me old. I'm a healthy man in the prime of my life, and my best years are yet to come."

"Wow," Ed snarked, "Could you sound any more pompous, you freak?"

Ah, normalcy. What a relief. Roy smirked, turning with a curt wave at Ed.

"I'll see you bright and early Monday morning, Edward," he called as he walked away. Ed just stuck his tongue out at the retreating back and moved back into the apartment. He threw himself back on the couch. Why did he feel like he'd forgotten something?

Roy coming back had been a surprise. He hadn't expected to see the professor again until Monday. He especially hadn't expected the man to be, of all things, shy, but that was just how he had been acting. It was kind of cute.

Ed just hit himself in the head for that one, deciding that today really needed to end, so he'd just go to bed and everything would be better in the morning.

He threw off his jacket and had just finished unbuttoning his shirt when the doorbell rang again. He stomped over to the door, unmindful of his state of undress, and yanked it open.

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There's section 3. One more to go. If I get a few reviews, I'll post the final section later today, alright? Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

Last chapter of the story. Thanks again to my reviewers. The wonderful feedback is the only reason I bother to post here, rather than just keeping all of my fiction on my LiveJournal account.

Star Sappirex, this update is for you, in response to your wonderful review.

Hope everyone enjoys the ending. Just maybe keep an eye out for some follow up drabbles...? Not till after finals though: )

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Roy wasn't sure what had brought him back to Edward's apartment door, but he really couldn't control it. He wasn't ready for Ed though, opening the door with a fierce glare, unbuttoned shirt hanging on his shoulders.

"What do you want this time, bastard?" he asked, keeping the surprise out of his voice by filling it with terrible aggravation.

That tore it. Ed being soft and pleasant made him feel warm inside, but Ed being fiery was too much for him. He took two steps to bring them together, drawing Ed to himself with one arm around his waist, as he bent his head and crushed their lips together. Ed went still, not struggling, but not responding, either. After a few moments, Roy drew back, looking down at dazed golden eyes, wide with shock. He waited, but no response was forthcoming, so he slowly let go, backing away from Ed and the doorway.

Ed was completely dumbfounded. Roy Mustang had kissed him. Kissed him! And now he was standing there with that odd look on his face, and Ed knew he should say something, but his mind couldn't process any information other that Mustang had just kissed him…and it had been kind of nice; it sent tingly feelings zipping up and down his spine.

He reached out just as Mustang decided to make a tactical retreat, and caught his left elbow in one hand. Roy turned to look at him, and he thought that the man might look a little bit sad. Tugging gently, he got him moved back into the apartment, shutting the door behind him.

"You kissed me," he said, looking up at the dark haired man.

"I did."

No apologies. That was alright. It probably meant that Roy didn't regret what he'd done. That was okay. It hadn't been bad, per say, just unexpected. Looking up at Mustang, Ed decided to approach the situation like the scientist he was. He had been kissed. Had he really liked the kiss? He didn't know. Experimentation was necessary. The only solution: try it again.

Catching a handful of Roy's shirt, he drew the man down and kissed him lightly. He could feel Roy's lips, soft and warm, feel the man's muscles tense in surprise then relax into the kiss.

Roy couldn't move. Edward was kissing him. _Edward…_ He let his eyes slide closed and relaxed, kissing back and snaking his arms around the younger man's waist. They drew back, Ed's hand still fisted in Roy's shirt, and Roy's arms holding him gently. They just stood and looked at each other, neither seeming quite sure what to do next.

Ed seemed to realize that he was wrinkling Roy's shirt and released it.

"Sorry about that," he said, finally realizing that he was caught in Roy's arms and looking away with a blush. Roy grinned at him again, and Ed looked up again in time to catch it. Wow, what was that? Two, maybe three genuine smiles in one day? And he'd thought that the man wasn't capable of any expressions that didn't include a smirk. His lips curved slightly in response.

"So," he started, blush coming back a little. "What brought that on?"

Roy didn't quite know how to answer that one. '_I've actually been thinking about it since this afternoon,_' didn't seem like enough of an explanation for Edward, nor did it seem quite true. Anything else, anything closer to the truth, just might terrify him; that he'd been thinking about kissing him since the first time he saw him with his hair down, or even since the first day they met, when Edward had taken one look at the lab, messier than it would usually have been since Roy had been working on one of his personal projects, sized him up with a glance, and asked his brother loudly if this guy was the only professor they could work for, "'Cause he sure doesn't look like much."

He settled for a slight smile.

"Are you sure you want to know that right now?" he asked, trying to explain how very complicated this was with his eyes.

Something seemed to have gotten across, because Ed looked away.

"No, not really. Just curious."

He seemed to be waiting for something.

"What now?" he asked, still not quite sure he wanted to look at Roy.

Roy wasn't quite sure about how to answer that question either. Was this going to be a one-time curiosity, or a long-term entanglement? They got along well, even with all the bickering they did. He liked being around Ed. It made life interesting and exciting. He actually realized that he was hoping that this would be a long-term arrangement.

"I guess that depends on you, Ed," he prompted. "What do you want to do?"

Ed glowered.

"I'm not going to sleep with you on the first night, Mustang, so don't even think about it."

Roy started, forcing himself not to laugh. Ed would probably misinterpret that.

"Ed, that's, I, that's not what I meant. I mean, are you interested in pursuing this?"

Ed looked a little uncertain.

"Well, are we allowed to? You know, a professor and his assistant?"

"We would have to be discrete, but there is nothing in the rules that actually forbids any relationship, so long as you are not one of my students. That would be frowned upon."

"And you actually check up on this stuff," Ed sniffed. "Perverted old man."

Roy growled, catching Ed up in his arms and trapping him against the wall.

"One," he said, his voice a low rumble in Ed's ear, "I don't check up on that kind of regulations. Professor Hughes, seeing that it was inevitable that my poor TAs would be irrevocably drawn to my dashing good looks," hmm, Ed still snorted at that, even though he had been caught by them as well, "Decided to check out whether or not I could take any actions to relieve their…heartache."

"Sheesh," Ed mumbled, "Could you sound more like pond scum?"

"And second," Roy continued, unperturbed by Ed comparing him to slime, "The fact that I've been driven crazy by one fiery blond does not make me perverted, and I…am…not…old." He accented each of the last four words with a nip at Ed's ear, making him squirm and laugh a little. It tickled.

Roy smirked and looked down at his laughing blond. He was just a little bewildered by the way the weekend had gone. Ed had been ready to kill him Friday morning, and now…well. Just then, the clock behind him clicked and began its steady tolling. It was late, not that it mattered too much, but Roy did have next week's lessons to plan tomorrow, as well as lunch with Maes. Wow, how much ribbing would he have to put up with? The man was absolutely insufferable when he was right about something.

"It's getting late, Ed. I'd probably better go home for the night."

Ed nodded, looking at him questioningly when he wasn't released from his place against the wall.

Roy smirked again, and Ed suddenly had a bad feeling about this (well, if you could call the little shivers running up and down his spine bad).

"I may not be planning on seducing you yet, Edward," he whispered, "But that doesn't mean I'll walk away without a good-night kiss."

Lowering his head again, he proceeded to make Ed forget his own name. Ed's arms came up around his neck, and he kissed back, not pulling back until his breath ran out and he had to break away, gasping for air and trembling.

Engraving the image into his memory, Roy gave him one swift peck on the lips and grinned.

"I'll see you Monday, Edward," he drawled.

Ed managed to recover enough to smirk at him.

"Don't miss me too much, Mustang."

As Roy pulled away from the curb for the final time that night, Ed turned away from the window and flopped down on the sofa again. He still wasn't sure what this thing was that he had stumbled into, but he was pretty sure that it was something good. The satisfied smile on his face didn't fade as he drifted to sleep, his shirt still hanging, unbuttoned, from his shoulders. His brother, walking in the next afternoon, found him there, curled on the couch cushions with a pillow held tightly in his arms. He looked tired, and Al guessed that he had been working most of the weekend already. Just as he finished draping a blanket over Ed's sleeping form, a knock sounded at the door. It was a delivery, one bouquet of bright flowers, and one box of confections from a local confectioner. He took them both into the kitchen, putting the flowers in water before reaching for the note tucked inside.

'_Alphonse_,' it read, '_You'll probably be home by the time this arrives, and Ed will probably have told you what happened this weekend, since I know that you two share everything. This is to let you know that I really do care for your brother, and will never intentionally harm him. The flowers are for both of you. Please let him open the chocolates. I know he'll probably give some to you, so I only addressed them to him. _

_Remember, you have my word. I'll be gentle, just like you told me._

_Oh, and if you see Professor Hughes, let him know that we need to have a little…talk…about what he is and is not allowed to disclose to my TAs._

_Give him a kiss for me, and I'll see you Monday._

_-Roy_

Al's eyes widened as he read the note, and drifted over to his brother sleeping peacefully on the couch. He saw the little smile that still curved his lips, and decided that he could wait until Ed woke up. He was glad, if a little nervous that Ed was getting involved with the man who was, in essence, their boss, but he was confident that they could work it out. They had been drifting toward each other since the day they met. He only hoped that they would be good for each other. His brother needed someone else he could rely on, someone he could talk to other than Al.

"I only hope you understand, professor," he said, smiling down at his older brother, turning and mumbling in his sleep, "That if you ever hurt him, you will regret it."

On the other side of town, sitting with Maes Hughes in the Hughes family living room, Roy Mustang had to suppress a little shudder, before going back to pretending to be unaffected by his friend, who was howling with laughter and shouting, "I told you so!"

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Thank you all so much for reading. Please review. I welcome all comments, positive or negative. You've all been wonderful!

-Song


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